Tower and Town, August 2017

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Walking For Pleasure?

Walking for pleasure..... as a young lad this was a concept that was almost impossible to fathom. Yet up until the age of about 12, along with my equally unimpressed siblings, I was forced to endure this mysterious pastime on a near-weekly basis.

Sunday was generally the day that the punishment would be handed out, primarily orchestrated by my usually kind and caring father. Living in a country town such as Marlborough he had a plethora of routes down which he could drag his unwilling subjects, each with its own set of dangers and trials. The paths through Savernake Forest for example were lined with thick mud and scattered with camouflaged dog discharge, blending in with the leaf litter, waiting to hitch a ride on an unwary foot. There was also the mountainous terrain of Fyfield Down, populated by over confident sheep and the occasional impossibly gigantic cow. On occasion we would venture further afield trudging beside the Kennet and Avon canal, sidestepping cyclists and joggers, with a constant fear of being plunged into the pungent stagnant water, the domain of the monstrous pike. Of course, all of these hazards would be tackled with the assistance of a pair of ill-fitting Wellington boots, a magnet for spiders and small, pin-sharp stones.

Despite all of the aforementioned perils, I am pleased to say I survived relatively unscathed, and have recently been coming around to the idea of a recreational walk. Indeed, when I was travelling in Australia and New Zealand a few years ago, pretty much all I did was go on walks around the various different breathtaking landscapes those countries had to offer. It obviously helps when the surrounding scenery is essentially one big film set, with a lack of money meaning there were few other activities available to us. Still, some of the best experiences I had on that trip were on foot.

A short time after returning from my travels I moved from the land of the white horse and the great bustard to London. Whilst there are plenty of parks and green spaces dotted across the capital in which to go for a wander, these are generally at the other end of a hideous bus or tube journey. I now somewhat regret my hostility towards those family hikes during my childhood.

   

James Bumphrey